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October 29, 2018

ACT, FAFSA, CVS, wait, what? (part 2)

I left the dad to deal with Lila's poop. I raced into the study to see what was up with Ed's distress call.

Ed had gone back into his full ride scholarship application to look for the email address for the scholarship committee. He needed to send an email to update them about being chosen as a leader for a thing at school. While he was in his application, he noticed that he only had one community activity listed. Where were the other activities? There were no mission trips, no religious education teaching, no basketball little kid coaching. What the Hell?!!

While Ed was sharing this ordeal with me, I heard Coach on the phone in the family room. Coach is never home on a Monday, but since he taught for 3 weekends in a row he opted out of working late on Monday night. He was on the phone with Lad . . .

'Well, how often do you look at your email? This letter is dated Oct. 3rd. It says I only have ten days to respond. Ten days was a few days ago. You have to be more on top of this stuff. You are getting the emails, not me!'

By now all my babysitting charges had been picked up. Hallelujah. Yikes, why was Coach's hair on fire in the family room? I went to investigate leaving Ed to start jotting down all of his missing community activities.

Turns out Lad's FAFSA needed some updated paperwork. Fun. I delegate FAFSA stuff to Coach, but let's not kid ourselves I make myself and my knowledge of our accounts readily available to him. I help when I can. Lad got an email apparently asking for info. The letter that was sent to us arrived after the supposed deadline for when they required the info.

Coach hung up with Lad and started trying to figure out what was needed. This is the first year that we have used a FAFSA. Uncharted territory. He called Lad right back - 'I need your drivers' license number.' Lad informed him that he couldn't find his drivers' license.

Oh brother. It was going to be one of those nights.

I called the car insurance company to ask if they had a copy of Lad's license. I left a message. Then I started to rifle around on my computer desk. I was back in the study where Ed was moaning and groaning over his messed up application.

A more impressive picture would have been the pile of junk that I sifted thru in order to find thisletter from the sec of state, but I feared we wouldn't be friends anymore if you saw that!

On my computer desk I eventually found what I needed. A letter alerting us that Lad had gotten a speeding ticked over the summer. Yes, this was a ticket that he chose to pay rather than request supervision. Why, oh, why would he do that? Because then he figured he didn't have to tell us. Oops. Then we got the letter and we were ticked, and now he has the ticket on his record. Dumb.

Lad doesn't drive the entire time he is away at school, so naturally I would've encouraged him to request supervision, if he had consulted us. Um, yes, I do tend to be an expert on speeding tickets, now that you bring it up. Well, his drivers' license number was on this letter. So, when I found it there was much to celebrate.

I reviewed the email that Ed had drafted to the scholarship board. Gave him a few suggestions, like: 'I hope that this information isn't repetitive, but when I open my application I cannot see these activities that I saved in my application. Perhaps you can see them on your end.' STRESS!

On Wednesday Coach had to sit down and fill out a CSS. I was like, 'What are you filling out now? A CVS?' Yeah, no - that's a pharmacy. The CSS was ANOTHER financial document that the scholarship committee needed. I later heard it referred to as the FAFSA on steroids. The email said you should expect to spend 45 minutes on it. Several hours later, Coach was wrapping it up and in a rather delightful mood about the whole thing. As I am sure you can imagine.

Ed has opted to take the ACT again on Oct. 27th. His current score is solid, but hoping to raise it a point or two. Oh, how I long for that to be wrapped up.

So basically the A,B,C's of college are causing us a great deal of discomfort and I will be happy when we are done with all of this BS.

2 comments:

As a mother of a 9th and 10th grader, this is one thing I am dreading. All the decision making and all the paperwork. It is wonderful that your son is eligible for a full ride scholarship!!! I hope he gets it!!!

Oh, Beth. Enjoy your life before the college craziness hits. Back to back years, oh my! I will have back to back years as well with Tank and Mini - but too completely different approaches to college. If yours are both interested in the same track, at least you can try to do some combo college visits. You will also be seasoned FAFSA people. And yes, we hope he gets it as well. There is not a moment in the day I don't think about it.

About Me

Mothering 6 kids with no small feet, I trip thru life over their monster-sized mislaid shoes, their nutty antics, and my unhealed scars as a middle child. Life is messy - I'd rather write about it than clean it up.